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Aruba’s top 3 coral reefs

Floating serenely through a quiet underwater world full of surprises… Once you’ve been bitten by the diving bug, there’s no going back. Try out the crystal-clear Caribbean waters of Aruba, for instance, and you'll experience culture shock in Technicolor. The coral reefs in particular seem to be an entirely different planet.

Water Sports

Eye-to-eye with a nurse shark

Mangel Halto

Mangel Halto is said to be Aruba's best diving and snorkelling spot. Past the shallow reef, you’ll find an amazing and very diverse ecosystem with beautiful gorgonians, anemones and sponges. A confetti of fishes in all sizes swim among them: perciform fish, blackbarred grunts, sergeant majors, stingrays… the list goes on and on. In deeper waters, you’ll find octopi, green moray eels, nurse sharks and barracudas. With a bit of luck, you might see gracious sea turtles coming to shore to nest on the beaches in the spring.

Sergeant major fish

Boca Catalina

Boca Catalina and the nearby Catalina Cove are excellent options for beginners. This small snorkelling paradise is located on the northernmost tip of the island. The waters here are calm and shallow. Snorkelling doesn’t get any easier than this: simply walk from the Boca Catalina beach into the water and let the current carry you along the coral. You’ll float past sponges and starfish in all imaginable colours, entire schools of sergeant major fish, surgeonfish and parrot fish and ultimately end up in Catalina Cove.

Baby Beach: perfect for beginners

Santana Reef

Santana Reef is probably the most ‘pure’ diving and snorkelling area in Aruba. Although not recommended for beginners, anyone with experience can enjoy this unique spot. The deeper areas in particular are virtually untouched. Apart from coral fish, you’ll see lots of fish species from the open ocean. Caution: the currents can get strong. Beginners would be better off at the aptly named Baby Beach a half a kilometre away.

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Romance

Water sports

Beach

Arts & Culture

Nature

Romance

For couples in love, a sunset dinner is a great incentive to leave the hotel room. Preferably dinner on the beach with your feet in the sand, a sultry ocean breeze and gourmet cuisine. The beautiful island of Aruba boasts many outstanding restaurants with an ocean view.

Water sports

Aruba is an island paradise, both above and below the surface of the ocean. Here you will find some of the most spectacular dive spots in the world. Those who cannot dive will miss out on beautiful reefs and fascinating shipwrecks. But not to worry, diving is easy to learn – whether you wish to become a certified diver or simply try an introductory test dive.

Beach

Aruba’s beaches offer a lot more than just snorkelling and diving. There is also plenty of action above the surface. Thanks to a strong and steady wind, the island is known as one of the best wind and kite-surf destinations in the Caribbean. Several of Aruba’s beaches offer excellent activities on the water, for both beginner and more experienced surfers.

Arts & Culture

The California Lighthouse is a 30-metre-high lighthouse on the north-western tip of Aruba. Now that modern technology has made the original function of the lighthouse obsolete, it primarily serves as a beacon for tourists, who like to come down to his part of Aruba to enjoy the spectacular views of the island. An added plus is that there is always a refreshing ocean breeze to cool you off.

Beach

Good, better, best: it’s difficult to choose between all the beaches on Aruba. Are you looking for the finest or whitest sand, or clearest water? Perhaps something shallow and suitable for children? Or something impressive or maybe even festive? Aruba has it all. Each beach is unique in its own way, so you’ll always find one meeting your needs.

Beach

If you’ve ever dived the reefs and wrecks around Aruba, you might have encountered them before: sea turtles. Sea turtles are like underwater carrier pigeons: no matter how far they roam, they always return home. Their ‘home’ is the Aruban beach where they once hatched out of an egg — and also where they come to lay the next generation.

Romance

Feet in the sand, swaying palm trees, the murmuring of the sea — in Aruba, there seems to be a romantic spot around every corner. No wonder it’s such a popular place to propose or get married. And with a declaration of love comes a profound attachment to the island: many couples keep coming back to celebrate their anniversary.

Romance

Although various languages are spoken on Aruba, the word for ‘sweetheart’ in Papiamento is probably the cutest of all: ‘dushi’. The island is an absolute paradise where old romances are rekindled and new ones born. All the same, there’s plenty more to do than getting lost in each other’s eyes. After all, special memories are also made by doing things together.

Water sports

The waters surrounding Aruba harbour a true ship graveyard. Some of these ships were torpedoed — others perished in a storm. Nowadays, a few are even sunk here deliberately. Why? Because not only the fish love these wrecks, but also divers and snorkellers, who can explore the underwater world while enjoying a bit of history in the process.

Arts & Culture

Perched high on a hill overlooking Aruba stands the Alto Vista Chapel, a tiny sanctuary that is often illuminated by dozens of candles that create its special ambiance. Everyone is welcome, both believers and non-believers, to enjoy the serene atmosphere or attend one of the weekly services. The current building dates from 1952, but the location has a much longer history, as this is where the first church on Aruba once stood.

Nature

The nature reserve Arikok covers close to one-fifth of Aruba and contains virtually all the flora and fauna that the country has to offer — against a background of beautiful volcanic rock formations. In addition, the national park is home to a large number of historical heritage sites.